thezionfile

2008-10-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Kansas City Marathon

Yeah!! I finished the Kansas City Marathon (half-marathon!) today
and did better than I thought I would. I had entered this event before I had even decided to do the Disney Marathon this coming January. It was definitely good training for that half-marathon. I had hoped to finish in 2:15 or better and finished somewhere between 2:10 and 2:13. I don't know the exact time because I forgot to bring my race chip. Oops.
The race started downtown at Crown Center. From there, the race course went up a steep hill next to Liberty Memorial and then down Main Street to Westport. Then we made our way through the Plaza--down 47th Street, turned at Troost, then through Gillham Park and back downtown. All along the route, there were bands playing which made the run not only fun, but more enjoyable. My left knee always seems to bother me whenever I get to mile 5 on a run, but thankfully, it wasn't so bad today. I didn't like mile 10 because we all ran in silence--no bands and no people cheering us on! At mile 12, I heard someone yelling to the runners "Dig deep and finish strong". Well, I guess it was just what I needed to hear because that's just what I did. I came into the finish line with my left knee throbbing and feeling like I was gonna throw up every ounce of Gatorade, water and shot blocks I'd digested along the route.
Thankfully, that didn't happen. I, along with all the other runners did come to an abrupt halt after the finish line. We were stuck in the barricades like cattle, not able to hardly move but a few inches for about 10 minutes, before they allowed us to move forward and grab water and food. Jeremy caught me inhaling an orange after the long wait! I have to say that the worst part of the race was when people in big baggy sweatpants, sweats shirts and gloves went flying past me saying they had never run more than 2 miles, or discussing the blue book value of their car or what they ate for lunch yesterday. It kind of seemed like a mockery of the hard work I had put into training for the run. Uugghh...so unfair! boo-hoo!

Amber (my sis) came to cheer me on at the finish line. Amber did fundraising for LLS the last 2 years and completed the Disney marathon both years as well. I have to say, witnessing her success at the marathon and fundraising motivated me to take on the same challenge this year.

Here I am with my wonderful friends Kristyn and Jessie. (Taryn, I missed having you in my pictures!--I'll have to get some from Jessie!) We all started out training for the KC Marathon together. It was so encouraging to hear them yelling for me at the finish.

Jeremy managed to snap a picture of me flyin' by!

See me in the middle coasting by to the finish?

Little Z was happy to see momma!

2008-10-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Again Friends!

Well, this is my first post to share with all of you about my running adventures. Yeah, I started my running training for a half marathon in August. Yeah, I'm a little slow with doing blog posts, somewhat like my running pace.
Zion makes a great illustration in the following pictures of
what it has felt like (for me!) at times when I go running.

Most of you know that I am training for the Disney World half-marathon in January 2009.
I have run a half-marathon before, but that doesn't make it any easier. It's still a challenge which is why I want to do more.
I thought I would tack on the extra challenge of fundraising for the leukemia and lymphoma society, for added inspiration. That's not the only reason. LLS is an amazing organization that
has helped a lot of people in their challenge of fighting cancer.

I go on long runs on Saturdays with my "team" which consists of other people who are also fundraising for LLS and training for a marathon or half-marathon. We start running at 6:30 most Saturdays. That is definitely easier to do when I know I won't be running by myself!
When I get home after my runs, Zion usually meets me at the door and says "You go running mommy?" or "I go running wif you mommy!"

This past Saturday, I ran 10 miles. It didn't feel like I ran 10 miles though. It felt like I dragged myself along 10 miles of running trails. I think I started to get comfortable with the run just about the time that I finished the 10th mile. Yeah, not good. I think I was the last person on my team to finish, well, except for one guy who is planning to walk a full marathon. Needless to say, it was not a great running day for me.
When I got home, I threw my running shoes by the door, and plopped on the couch. Little Z picked them up a short time later and announced, "we go running" except he wanted to wear my shoes.

So, I let him try to figure out how that was going to happen.

He got them on with my help, but I think he changed his mind about running.
So, the running wasn't so great this week, but my fundraising is going well. So far, I have raised about $900.
Just $1,000 to go before Nov. 4th!
Then, I will work on raising another $1900 by Dec. 18th!

Anyone is welcome to contribute to my efforts!

Check out my fundraising site at:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/mid/wdw09/tcollinnuv

2008-10-05T11:31:00.001-07:00

What Zion has been up to...

Well, he's been up to a lot, but mostly doing lots of new things to make us laugh. This picture is my absolute favorite right now! Yes, he is potty training...sort of.

Going to the potty is a big deal. He thinks it requires stripping down naked, and while he has rarely actually used the potty, he has managed to spend a lot of time clothes-free.

This week, he found another use for the potty: a place to sit and browse catalogs for this year's halloween costume.

It's been a long time since I've posted any pics, so there is a lot more pictures to come, so enjoy!

2008-10-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Zion meets his new cousin!

Zion finally got to meet his new baby cousin today. Judah Colin White was born on Monday, Sept 29th. I thought Zion would completely ignore him. Instead, he was so excited to hold him and wouldn't let us take him away from him!

Zion doesn't look the least bit proud, does he?

Cousin Maya patiently waits her turn to hold baby Judah while Zion happily holds the baby with no intention of taking turns.

"I love my baby cousin!"

2008-01-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

"I'm 18 months old today!"

Here is the big boy at 18 months old...

...another one of the 18 month old cheeseball,

and at 6 months

3 months

and 3 weeks!

2008-01-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

"Hi,hi, hi!" That is what you would hear this
sweet boy saying if this picture was a movie.
Zion is learning new words and showing off
new expressions and more personality every day.
Below, are just a few of those I managed to capture.
Again, I wish they were on video, but it seems like when the video

camera comes out, he stops performing!

Zion, can you tell us your new words?

"nose"

"eye"

"teeth"

"ear"

"what's that?"

"I'm done"

2008-01-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

"Okay, now, let's see, I think this is how ya hold this scooper"

"and, then, I think ya kinda turn it, and point one finger out"

"Hey! No help mom! I can do it myself!"

"See!"

" I think I'm left handed. Yeah, that was the problem."

2008-01-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

Zion and I had lots of fun surprises on Sunday!
(thank you Alisha for snapping this picture
of Zion, as well as the rest of the pictures!)

First, our 6 month old friend, Koen came over
to hang out with us while his parents went to a movie.

Then, Alisha and Lori came to our house with April!
I haven't seen April since this summer, so this made it
even more fun to see my girlfriends.

(above picture from left to right: Nikki (who's baby will be arriving any day!), April (20 weeks pregnant), Alisha (not pregnant!), me ( not pregnant!), and Lori (pregnant and due in May).

While me, April, Alisha and Lori were visiting,
Nikki called to say she was stopping by with
Mia and her mom. What perfect timing!

(Pictured below: Mia (2) and Nikki)

Zion actually shared his toys with Mia.
Good boy!

2008-01-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Stinkin' CUuuute!!!

Hello everybody! We're back! We've got a lot of catching
up to do, so I'm starting with the most recent pics and working my
way back while planning to update this regularly from here on out.
We made a visit to the library where Zion hung out with Miles Brower,
Blakely McFall, and Carson Miles (he didn't want his picture taken!) on Tuesday.
Isn't he the cutest "little boy" baby?

He's so smart. He already knows how to click the mouse.

"Playing puzzles with my pals"

2008-01-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

Hi!

Enough with the pictures!

2007-12-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the cousins

I managed to snag a picture of at least 3 of the 4
Neer family members in one picture!

Zion and daddy opening up a new ride
from Grandma and Grandpa

Bad picture, but probably the only we had
of me with Zion!

"I'm just gonna relax while I open this one"

2007-12-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

I love Christmas!
unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures,
but plenty of video!

Uncle Jonathan, Dad, and Spidey baby

Zion and his Christmas booty

2007-12-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hangin' out with the Rodda girls
We visited Union Station and snuck
onto the kiddo train for some poses.

Ben, Kym, Stella and Savvy came to visit us
before Christmas. We always love visiting with
the Roddas; Zion does too!

Just thought I would show some
pictures of Zion with Savvy and
Stella from when we visited them
in Colorado back in May.

2007-11-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Horseshoe Canyon Ranch
Isn't it beautiful?

I thought you all would enjoy
seeing pictures from our trip to Arkansas
in November. We go to this beautiful ranch
outside of Jasper, Arkansas every fall. Well, and
any other time of year that we have a chance to get away.
But this time, we went for almost 2 weeks and it
couldn't have been a more perfect time of year.
Zion absolutely loves HCR and so do we!

Zion helping dad sort gear for his next climb.

Usually when we go to HCR, we spend most of our time climbing.
But since we were there for 2 weeks, we got to do a lot more. Jeremy went
horseback riding one day--that's him on the horse on the far left.

Zion was extremely excited about all the horses. He would either squeal
when he saw them, or stare at them in silence for the longest time every morning

This is my favorite view of HCR. You just take a long, steep hike up to
this tree swing where you can see all of the cabins and a long stretch of
the cliffs lining one side of the canyon.

Zion couldn't have been happier getting this close-up of the horses.

I think this is the only picture of the 3 of us together at the ranch.
Oh, the pictures you forget to take on vacation!

Jesse came the 2nd weekend we were there to do some
climbing with Jeremy. Zion likes hangin' out
with Uncle Jesse too!

My dad made his way out to HCR to spend the 2nd weekend
there with us also. We talked him into doing a little
climbing with us also and he loved it!

My mom was with us for the first week of our trip.
I think it's her favorite vacation spot now. Okay,
maybe 2nd. Colorado always gets first place.

Shepherd boy Zion on the lookout

Grandma and Zion soaking in the beautiful fall morning--and horse watching!

Z-boy and daddy going for a hike (that's our cabin in the background)

2007-11-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

My spidey boys in their full halloween costumes!
Zion was so excited to see spiderman, or "Bo-bo"
as he calls him. I don't think he was fooled though.
He knew this spiderman was his daddy.

Jeremy was spiderman for halloween, but he
was actually hired to come to this Wal-Mart for
the dvd release of Spiderman 3. No, he wasn't
hurting for money, he just LIKES any opportunity
to be spiderman!

2007-10-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

We liked the pumpkin patch so much that we
decided to go to another one the next day with
Auntie Amber, Chandler, and Maya. Chandler's
preschool was having a fieldtrip to a pumpkin
patch in Liberty, so we tagged along!

Grandma Connie was there too. Zion loved
the hay ride almost more than the pumpkins.

There were so many pumpkins to pick from,
it was hard for Zion to pick just one.

Grandma helping Zion choose a pumpkin.

"Okay, I think I found one that is just my size."

2007-10-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhh....Fall! Time for more new discoveries
at the pumpkin patch.

We made our first pumpkin patch visit on a
Wednesday (some time before Halloween!)
with our friends Alisha, Carson, Miles, Lori
and Blakely.

Oooh! So much for baby Zion to touch and see!

Blakely, Miles, and Carson lined up to watch the
animals in the petting zoo at the pumpkin patch.

One cute little pumpkin.

Just another day of work on the farm.

2007-10-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

I love the outdoors!

Little Z boy has been walking for about a month
(at the time these pictures were taken) and he
was/is doing a great job keeping his balance.
In the picture below, he's chewing on a woodchip
AND walking, pretty talented, huh?

Too bad I missed the deadline to enter
Z boy in the Gap Baby photo contest with
the photo below!

"Hi, let's play ball!"

"Just pretend I'm walking on dad's slackline here"

"Silly mom, hand me that ball"

"Is this a good view of me?"

"I'll just strike a pose here"

"Still cute, huh?"

"Uh, can I play yet?"

"Now, let's play mom."

2007-07-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

One year ago, little z-boy was born...

...and today he's a big one year old!
yep, a full year has gone by and this boy has changed a lot!
We love you Zion! You make life so much fun.

As soon as Zion woke up, we popped in his room to videotape him and sing happy birthday to him. He wasn't fully awake when I handed him a balloon (his favorite toy right now!) and put a blueberry muffin topped with a candle in front of him. He just stared at it and then stared at us like we were crazy! I thought he would grab for the candle, but nope. He was content to gaze at it until I blew it out.

"I don't know what you guys are making such a big deal about...

"...but this thing you're callin' my birthday muffin sure is tasty!"

2007-06-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Zion loves the beach!
Well, maybe he loved the sand more than anything else. Just thought you all would want to see these pictures from our trip to San Diego.

Nothing like a nice cold apple juice on the beach in the morning.

I was excited about the idea of getting a picture of Zion standing on a surfboard, but Zion was more interested in playing in the sand. I guess I'll have to get that picture next year; although next year, the challenge will be trying to get him to stand still!

'

Relaxing on the beach.

"Come on dad! It's time for a serious game of volleyball."

2007-06-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

Pictures from San Diego!
The first 4 days of our trip was spent at surf camp (which I'll share about in another post!) and the weekend was spent with Jeremy's family. Jeremy's brother, Jonathan and his wife Sandy live in San Diego. Jeremy's parents, Joyce and Gary also came out from K.C.
I have lots of pictures to share and I wanted to start with ones of the family. Here we are celebrating Father's Day at a local cafe in Cardiffe after a long, hard day at the beach. I love how Zion is sitting up so straight like he's a little adult.

A closer look at the fam: Aunt Sandy, Gramma Joyce, Grampa Gary, and Uncle Jonathan

Zion loves hanging out with Uncle Jonathan...

...and Aunt Sandy!

"Hi!" This is Zion's newest feat--waving to everybody and saying "Hi!"--from the moment he wakes up until, well, until he gets cranky and tired.

Grandpa and Uncle Jonathan and Zion playing in the ocean.
I would show more pictures of our day at the ocean, but I can't find them right now!

2007-06-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our trip to Colorado.

Our first stop was to visit Jeremy's cousin Jennifer Stiner and her husband Brad (and baby Corben due to arrive in a few weeks--sorry Jen, if I spelled his name wrong!) Jeremy's Aunt Shelly and Uncle Randy Collins were also there to see Jennifer and Brad.

Next stop: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo where Zion got a REALLY close view of the giraffes!

Zion and Jeremy enjoying the scenery at Garden of the Gods on Memorial Day.

Me and Zion going for a stroll through Garden of the Gods.

Zion hangin' with the Rodda girls in Evergreen, Colorado. 17 month old Savannah on the left and 3 year old Stella on the right!

2007-05-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

May 31st: Zion gets his first haircut. Aunt Brenda had the privilege of cutting his precious uncut locks while we were visiting her in Colorado!

"I love getting my hair styled! It's a great stress reliever!"

"Yes, I like what you've done, but leave some length on the top. I like to give my hair a little volume with my styling techniques."
"Aahh!! It feels good to get that extra weight off!"

2007-05-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

HAPPY

MOTHERS'

DAY!

2007-05-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

Zion at 9 months.
Ah, sweet baby! This was taken the day after turning 9 months on April 26th. Oooh, I love those squishy legs.
6 month old Zion
3 month old Zion
3 week old Zion

2007-05-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Remember this? I couldn't wait to get rid of it!
But this...I'm loving every second of it.

2007-05-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

AHHH!!! Finally!! I can share my pictures! It has been an exhausting 2 months trying to recover photos, get my camera to work, and get my crazy computer to upload these photos.
I suppose by now, no one but me, Amber and Joyce even know this blog exists! I guess that makes it easy on me, huh?
Not really, I still am doing my best to record this munchkins every move.
Zion was 7 (maybe 8 months?) when I took these pictures of his first pincer grasp practice sessions! He loves his veggie puffs, but getting them to his mouth is not so easy!
"Hey mom! Doesn't it make me look so cute? Can I get a nose ring?"

2007-04-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

I love these pictures!!! Jeremy and I took Zion for a walk at Mill Creek Park. It was early on a Monday evening and cloudy, but it looks like a bright summer day! It kind of looks like we're in a studio with a background drop of the plaza, but I promise we were there. Doesn't he look cute with the fountain shooting off the sides of his head?
Zion loooves the J.C. Nichols fountain!

2007-04-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

This boy is sooooo cute! Even when he's sleeping!

2007-04-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

THE NUTCRACKER

THE NUT

This little nut woke up at 3 am crying; well, really, whining. So, I went in to check on him. There was just enough light from the hallway that I could tell he was lying on his stomach. His little, no, big head was bobbin' around and I could tell he was half asleep.
I said "what's wrong baby?" which apparently startled him enough that his half asleep noggin went careening into the ocean wonders musical thingy. The impact made a noise just like a cracked nut. The next noise was Zion's ear piercing scream. I picked him up and ran into the bathroom to check out the damage. The poor little guy's eye looked swollen and then I noticed a pea sized knot appear at the corner of his eye.
I ran downstairs with him to get his boo "bunny" elephant ice pack. I seriously thought he was gonna have a black eye. Surprisingly, he let me strap it to his head, swaddle him in a blanket and rock him to sleep. I kept worrying that he might have had a "fraction of a second" concussion. Thus, I put him in bed with me for the rest of the night. I was worried about him but also laughing as I grabbed the camera to record the incident! In the morning, the knot was gone and thankfully there was no black eye. Not sure how I would have explained a black eye!

2007-04-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Grandma Connie! These pics are for you. I just wanted you to see how much I love this new game you brought me.

2007-04-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

How can so little...
...make such a big mess? Little Z was constipated, so I tried giving him prunes. I managed to get one spoonful of prunes in his mouth. He the proceeded to stick his chubby hands in his mouth and remove the blob of pureed prunes and then violently wipe them up his nose, eyeballs, and forehead. He literally got prunes in his eye which made him furious, which led to big tears and snot (click on the picture for a nice view of the snot bubble that puts the finishing touch on this image)
I think that's a smile?

2007-04-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

Easter
Yep, I'm still catching up on my posts!
I often forget to have someone take a picture of the 3 of us, so I feel fortunate to have this one.

Zion's first Easter basket from G-ma and G-pa Collins.
He got some colorful sponges which he happily proceeded to try and chew off a hunk of one. Don't worry Grandma Joyce, none of us had thought of him trying to do that!

We were able to distract him from eating sponges with his new singing lamb puppet. He still giggles when he hears the puppet.

Garypa and Grandma Joyce with Z-boy on Easter.

Great Grandma Eunice and Great Grandpa Larry getting a snug with Z.

Grandpa Allen posing with his newest grandbunny.

Zion on the easter egg hunt with his cousins. He was pretty excited with all the noise and racing around to find loot.

It's kind of hard to hold an easter basket and crawl. Some baby pants have pockets just for these occcasions.

2007-04-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

March 30th, Jeremy presented his latest works of art at the grand opening of th Leopold Gallery in Brookside. The piece he's photographing in this picture is my absolute favorite of everything he has done to date! By the way, you can still check out his pieces at the gallery.
Zion shares his advice on color and texture.

Zion takes a closer look at the Masterpiece!

2007-03-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Spring arrived! Okay, well, it was March 28th (and Zion was 8 months) when I took these pictures! But, we couldn't have been more happy to be able to step outside without bundling up!
Zion loved watching the flowers falling off the tree.

He also enjoyed plucking flower petals and eating them!

2007-03-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

Zion discovers his tongue (Feb 16th)...

"Oh, hey uh, dad did this really cool thing with me today!"

"I can do anything you do, dad"

"Look mom!"

"LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK!

"Now hold real still dad; I'm gonna show you something else really cool called teeth..."

2007-02-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

WHAT ZION DID AT AUNTIE AMBER'S WHILE MOM WAS WORKING LAST WEEK:

"Hello everyone. This is my cousin Chandler. We were just discussing our favorite superhero movie scenes while waiting for breakfast"
"This is my cousin McKenna. She spent the afternoon teaching me some new games.
She introduced me to puzzles...
...but this is a lot harder than it looks!"

"My Auntie Tiffy and cousin Owen dropped by to see me too!"

"Auntie Amber stuck this on my head and had a good laugh. I'm really confused though; why does Auntie have a wig? I thought she was a natural blonde..."

"McKenna BEGGED me to play one more game called Memory. She was so excited about it, so I said 'okay, you can teach me, but then I need to take a nap'."
"Look mom. I got a match! This game was way easier than puzzles. I must have an exceptional memory right before nap time!"

2007-02-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

One more picture of Arlo's birthday. I think this picture is so sweet. Here is Arlo (center) with her brother Eliot,5, (second from left), sister Colette,2, (second from right) and twin cousins Isaac and Isaiah, 2 1/2 yrs, on the far left and right. I would love to get a picture of Zion with his 5 cousins, but I can't imagine even attempting to get them to sit together like this for a picture!

2007-02-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

More of the birthday girl...
Arlo Huffman turned 1 on Februrary 15th. Here she is today (Sunday) enjoying her new treasures.

"I can't wait 'til I have a birthday party!"

"Hey there Arlo, it's me, Zion, over here"

I love, love, love this sweet picture of baby Arlo.

2007-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

More pics of Arlo's birthday party!

Birthdays are so much fun!

2007-02-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Arlo Jane Huffman's 1 yr birthday with her family and friends.

Don't you just love those baby cheeks?

2007-02-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

WHAT ZION HAS BEEN UP TO...
We have finally introduced Zion to baby food! Yeah, I know, it's been a very slow process, but the way I see it, he'll be eating food for the rest of his life, so I don't think he has missed much!

These pictures are from yesterday (Saturday). His intro to food began with sweet peas.

He finally gave in to our "try it, you might like it!"

I don't think he cared much for it.

"Uh, mom, I would like something else for dinner, please"

2007-02-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

THIS ONE"S FOR YOU AUNTIE AMBER!

Okay, so I have to explain why I'm posting this picture. My sister Amber deserves my publicly posting this picture and confessing that "I think these pajamas are absolutely irresistably cute" on Zion. Why do I have to say this? Well, she lent me this big bag of clothes that her son Chandler wore as a baby. When I was looking through the pajamas, I pulled out the one shown here on Zion and said "Oh, these pajamas are so cute and fuzzy!". Amber looked at me stunned and said "Are you kidding me? I specifically remember you teased me about Chandler wearing those pajamas!" At that moment, I realized this was true. So, I humbly admit that I was wrong. Chandler just had to have been as irresistably cute wearing these jams as I think Zion is! They are so soft and warm and just make me want to snuggle him!

Now, you also have to know that the reason I made such a fuss is because I think most baby boy clothes are as hideous as holiday sweaters and school teacher wooden charm necklaces. You all know what I'm talking about! If you are a baby and a girl, you got it good. Everything seems extremely cute for girls. Now boys, they get cheap looking decals slapped onto everything: dump trucks, sailboats, footballs, basketballs, baseballs, trains, firetrucks...you know? Well, every once in awhile, someone in the baby boy fashion industry gets it right and tastefully displays an image like this plane on this so soft
snuggly sleeper. That's my very biased opinion, of course. Oh, and it has nothing to do with brand name! Children's stores like Children's Place and Gap can be (I said can be!) some of the worst offenders...well, Wal-Mart too (hee-hee). Again, my very biased opinion. So in conclusion, he's still not gonna wear that turtleneck with the firetruck plastered on it and the matching red denim overalls, or the t-shirt with the Big Bird decal. Well, at least he won't wear that stuff until the day we're at let's say, Target and he sees those-Buzz-Lightyear-house-slippers-that-light-up-when-you-walk that he swears are his absolute favorite thing in the world! LOL.

2007-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

"Hello again. Okay mom, why are you so excited to take a picture of me drinking milk from a spoon?"

"Now wait a sec, this is different, this is good...hey, this is that rice cereal stuff!"

Ahh yeah! keep the cereal coming.

Tasty, I must say.

"I can feed myself, thank you. Now just hand that bowl over."

2007-02-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

Zion loves his jumperoo!

2007-02-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! Just wanna give a shout out to all my fans! I have some particularly fascinating information I've been saving until the end of the day to share with you all...drumroll...I've got teeth!

The first tooth showed up on Dec 28th and the 2nd tooth on Jan. 7th. Now while I think it's pretty cool to rub my tongue over these strange sharp objects, as well as chomp down on anything I can get in my mouth, I'm not crazy about mom trying to get a close up shot of my mouth.

Yes, I'm laughing here, but only because I think it's pretty funny how hard she's trying to get a good shot of my pearly whites.

Okay, now I'm really nervous. You are invading my personal space.

More updates, yes I said more, to come tomorrow!

2007-02-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

6 months old! That's right, I was officially 6months on January 25th.

I can do all sorts of cool stuff now, like hold this lotion bottle, poke my fingers in my ears, pull mom's hair, grab everything off of dad's desk and stick it in my mouth, and oh! the usb cables are the tastiest!

Ummm.. what else? I can make all kinds of sounds, like "hey" and "di-da". Dad gets a kick out of that and says "hey to you too" for some reason. I can also do a perfect imitation of mom and dad sipping coffee from their starbucks cups.

Oh did you not know? I can roll all the way over now. I tried turing from my back to my stomach for the first time on Jan 24th, to be exact. You get a whole new view of the world when you turn over, it's amazing. One great thing about it is that I figured out that I can grab the carpet and push myself forward from this new position. Although, it is just as effective to pull my knees up to my stomach and then launch them forward. I've managed to turn in complete circles on the floor by doing this!

Now, some babies my age did this a month or more ago, but you've gotta put things in the right perspective. I mean, my doctor just told me last week, that I'm 27 inches long and my head is 18 inches around. Considering that this means my head is 2/3 the length of my body and I only weigh 17 pounds, I had to do some serious ab workouts to flip this body!

Well, I gotta go now 'cause I'm hungry and mom keeps promising that I can try something called rice cereal, but she hasn't yet revealed this mystery food to me! maybe if she'd stop snapping my picture...

2007-02-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

Taking a look back...
Zion at a few weeks old.

Zion at 3 months old

Zion at 6 months old!

2007-02-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Zion with mom, Alisha Brower, and his new buddy, Miles Brower!
Okay, so he was born in November, but we're kinda slow on the bloggin.

2007-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve. Yep, I really didn't get into snapping pictures, but this is what I did get. We spent New Year's Eve at our friends' Travis and Dana's house. We were playing Pictionary and as you can see, Zion is in the picture, because he felt that he should be awake to experience his first New Years. Well, he lasted until 11:45...

...but only because he got so caught up in the game!

2007-02-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

baby

bubbles

bath

and...dad?

2007-02-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

December 26th: Yep, here's me the day after Christmas! I turned 5 months old on Christmas Day, and acquired some mad skills. As illustrated in this picture, I really had become quite fascinated with my feet and pullin them up to my face.

This pic doesn't really show it, but I can pull my socks off with my hands (or gums) and suck on my toes. I had also become very vocal going from high pitched squeals ALL DAY on one day, and then switching to deep growling ALL DAY the next day.

Dad attempts to calm my incessant babbling by introducing me to some new tunes.

Hey, I like this!

2007-02-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

Hey Grandma Joyce! Thought you'd like this one of you and me with great aunt Marilyn!

Me again with Aunt Sandy at her sister Lindsey's wedding.

2007-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm not in these pics, but my cousins are! Don't worry, there is plenty more pics to come of yours truly, but for now, enjoy these! this first one is my cousin Chandler. He is 3 years old! I think he got every 3 year old boy's dream oufit: spiderman mask/gloves, buzz lightyear pajamas, and lifesize superman doll!

My cousins Avery and McKenna are discussing their new princess wardrobes.

Since I don't particularly care for sleeping, here is my cousin sleeping after a hard day of playing.

I think my cousin Maya was ticked when her mom through away that fabulous red sash we had both discovered was the real christmas present (see previous posts).

2007-02-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

I know you are all anxious to see recent pics of me (Zion,) but patience, patience, please, Mom's got some catching up to do on the pics and wanted to show you my cousins and aunties and uncles and g-ma/g-pa's too! This first pic is Auntie Tiff with cousin Owen, me and mom, and Auntie Amber and cousin Maya. We're the 3 youngest of all the cousins!

Here is cute little 'ol me with mom and dad on Christmas Day!

I'm checking out the gift wrap while Auntie Brenda and Auntie Amber and mommy pose for the camera.

The only pic G-ma and G-pa Earle got in with me is holding a picture of me! oops, sorry g-ma!

2007-02-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

Cousin Maya knows what I'm talking about.

2007-02-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Mom thinks that box is the present. Little does she know I've got the real thing here in my hands!

2007-02-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day: me and Grandpa Allen

Posin' with Aunt Brenda

Me and Auntie Amber

Opening my big gift with mom and dad!

"Dad! how did you know this is what I wanted?!"

2007-02-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Dec 24th: Hangin' with Grumpa Gary. (yep, I rotated this picture too, but it rotated itself back! If you all still want to see pics, you'll have to ignore the lack of edits for now...)

what's goin' on in the garage?

Grumpa and dad workin' on a "Z" for my room.

2007-02-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

December 24th: Aunt Sandy and Uncle Jonathan arrived in K.C. and got to spend time with little Z! I promise, I rotated this picture before I posted it, but this computer (or whatever it is) refuses to work in my favor.

I thought Zion was going to cry here, but no, he laughed! Maybe he hasn't seen anyone else with as big a head as his.

Don't they look like a cute little family with a baby?

Aunt Sandy already working on stylin' the hair.

2007-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Dec 22, 2006: Our friends Dave and Sara came to see us and we got to meet their little guy Rowan.

Rowan was almost 4 months and Zion was almost 5 months in these pictures. It was great to see you, Dave and Sara!

2006-12-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

From Zion:
I Just got home from my second Collins family christmas in Amoret , Mo. and I am pooped!

I saw some familiar faces and met a lot of new ones. I never knew so many people loved me- here they are:

Here are my cousins Keith and his wife Emily,Dustin, Jackson and Patrick. In Front is Aunt Brenda and Uncle Ron-

Here is my cousin Caleb in the middle and his girlfriend Tyler in front and their friend, Ella Rose in back.

Here is my cousin Jen and her husband Brad who is in the Navy. They live in Colorado Springs. I can't wait to go visit. Jen has my third cousin growing in her belly!

This is my Great Uncle Randy and Aunt Shelly. Uncle Randy put the carpet in my room!

Here is Randy holding me in his cool Collins Chiefs jersey

Here is my Great Uncle Steve and my Great Grandma Judy.

Here is my cousin Ryan and his girlfriend Justine.

Here is the Nastav Family, Bob, Janice, Jordan and Rebecca; except for my cousin Kaleb who is inside watching TV. We got to play all day at their fun house with chickens, dogs, cats, ducks, horses, and I even saw a cow!

Here is my pop and mama with my Great Great Grandpa Ray!

Here I am in my cool new hat from Aunt Janice. She's so Cool!

HEre is my Grumpa Gary and Great Grandma Judy.

I had a great day playing with my cousins! Tomorrow I get Collins party #3. I can't wait!

The end,
Zion

2006-12-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

Zion the Monkey on his very first climb in Arkansas, November 11th!

2006-12-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

Zion the Monkey Boy with a few of his closest friends...

2006-12-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

Here are Halloween Pics, FINALLY!
I decided to post everyones pics as we had many great costumes show up, but we didn't get everyone. Sorry they are sideways. Don't get a crick in your neck!

Elliot Huffman as Spiderman:

Beth Ann Chambers as "Miss Mustard":

Us as High Schoolers from 1990, with our uh-oh-monkey baby:

The Buxton Boys as The Zorro Brothers:

Mike Marvin Mastin as ...Deputy Dog?

Zions Favorite- Paul chambers as Homer Simpson:

Rebecca Chambers as ARGGGH The Deck Swabber:

Jesse and Bit as Big Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood:

Milan and Maya Mastin as the Kitten sisters:

Jarrod and Gina as Glam Rockers:

Momma Jan Mastin as Witch with her sly cats:

Ally Walters as Vixen Lioness:

Nathaniel and Rachel as Cowboy and Indian:

Bob as King of Something:

Rob as Emale and Jen as Dr. WhoNow?:

Brian as CENSORED, and Steve as a Renny:

Brian as Wacko Suave and Sarah as Sarah:

Steve as "The Guy Who Ate Steve":

Heather and Matt as "Drunk and Pregnant":

I have no idea...

Kevin and Julie as "Smelly and Drooly":

Lance(passing through from Nebraska) as a Boyscout:

2006-10-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

I had to post these pics, again! He's crackin' me up with his big 'ol grin!

2006-10-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

3 month old Zion with
14 month old cousin Maya. Too cute!

Whoa! I thought she was happy. Should I be crying too?

2006-10-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

What a fine lookin' chub!
Do you suffer from chicken leg syndrome?
In just 10 weeks, you too could gain a solid bod like mine. Just follow my foolproof nutrition plan.......

2006-10-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

3 Months Old!
Tomorrow, it's official--he'll be exactly 3 months! Crazy how fast the time has already gone by. Many of you have asked for recent pics, so enjoy! I took these photos and submitted this first one for Baby Gap's casting call. Hey, his dad is a finalist for Zest's Men of Adventure, so this little guy could be in Baby Gap's finalist picks too! Sorry there are not photos of me and Jeremy with him! Whenever I have a chance to post pics, it's usually when Jeremy is out of town, which means I'm by myself with

Zion, and I'm not really coordinated with trying to hold Zion and the camera and somehow get myself in the picture! When Jeremy is here, his computer is attached to him like a ventilator, so no pic uploading for me! SIGHhhhhhh....one of these days we'll get a family photo on here!

Zion has discovered his hands, and if I let him, he would suck on his fingers all day!

2006-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and Jonathan (my husband and brother in law) have both made it into the finals for a Zest Soap "Adventurous MEN" contest.

If they win, we all four get to go to on a $15,000.00 trip somewhere amazing in the world!

Please go vote for them- be sure to rate them as "3's" in all categories, then rate 3 other individuals as "1s" in all categories to help their prospects. In all you must rate 5 men.

Thanks for the help- I could use a free trip!

vote NOW! The voting is over in ten days!

be sure to ask friends and family to vote too.

here is the link:

http://zestforadventure.com/contest_voting.html

2006-09-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Guess what?
Zion is 2 months old!

He's such a stylin' boy in his snap-style shirt and brown felt cowboy boots.

I love smilin' for my mommy...

but I don't like it when she tries to pose me, even if it is for the purpose of showing off my faux hawk and male pattern baldness.

Now, I'm really ticked! Enough with the photo shoot, I'm hungry!

type here

2006-09-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

So beautiful!
It seemed like forever until Zion was actually sleeping for more
than an hour at a time. Okay, so he sleeps for 2-3 hours at a time now, but for me, that feels like an almost full night of sleep!

Zion still takes his best naps during the day. He gets Sooo...
relaxed. I don't know how this can be comfortable.

If I try to re-position him into a more spine friendly position,
he just pushes his little...er, big? head back, his mouth drops
open, and his arms go limp. We know he's really in a deep sleep
when his breathing sounds like he's talking!

No exagerration, Zion can touch his head to his tailbone.

Here he is awake, as he more often is!

2006-09-26T04:19:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!
Sorry it's been so long since you've seen new pics of me.
Mom says that dad hogs the computer, so she's had to be patient
and wait until this morning at 5 am to start posting pics. Of course, these are really old photos of me at like 6 weeks old. I look totally different now at 9 weeks! Mom plans to play "dress-up" with me today and do a photo shoot. So, until then,enjoy these goofy photos of me and dad.

Here's me and dad. He keeps getting his scratchy face up close to me and telling me he's gonna take me slacklining and climbing. Huh? I think he's kinda crazy, but I just smile back at him!

Me and dad at First Fridays downtown.
I was particularly intrigued by the largescale brightly colored
pieces. I also enjoyed being carried around like this. People look
so different from this position!

2006-09-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! Time flies!
It's been almost a month.
Zion is doing great!

We visited my great grandpa Ray in warsaw missouri a couple weeks ago-Zion made him a great great grandpa(and that he is).

Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Sandy came to visit-

They sure love little Zi Guy!

And we have some cool pics our excellent photographer friends took of our lil family.
here is Tricia and Zion, shot by Amy Berg

And here is Zion and I, shot by Kelly Jackson

more later...

2006-08-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

More pics of Zion! Yeah, I know, it's been 2 weeks since we posted pics.
There is good reason for that! You would think that since newborns sleep 17-20 hours a day, that there would be time for updating this blog.
Notice, however, that as in this pic, Zion most enjoys sleeping when the sun is out. That means I did not get much sleep, and thus am sleeping with the sun too.
This is also why I am posting pics at 4 am while holding Zion. Yep, he's wide awake. I think he enjoys the clacking of the keyboard and the fan in the background. I tell him that his irresistable cuteness is what makes it tolerable to be up this early!

Look how relaxed he is! He enjoys his bassinett during the day, but prefers being held by mom or dad in order to sleep at night.

Look close! Zion's got a little smile on his face!

Zion is wondering why in the world I have him awake at 2:00 in the afternoon.

Ahhhhh!!! This is the life!
Zion's favorite sleeping position--being held by mom.

2006-08-11T03:04:00.000-07:00

My two favorite boys!

Zion's got a rough life--eating, sleeping, and being held whenever he demands it.

We did actually take some pics of me and Zion together! You really didn't need to see me in any pics prior to this week. I was like a zombie, walking around the house, the first week home from the hospital. I had little sleep, lots of pain, and complete exhaustion. I'm glad the pain part is over! Now, I'm having fun snapping pics of Everything this cute baby does and recording everything about him.

Jeremy is demonstrating one of Zion's more famous facial expressions.

Chillin' out with dad

2006-08-11T02:52:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Zion......

2006-07-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

"hello big world."

Hey Z fans-
here are the latest pics from the front line. Due to many fan letters, we have taken some substantially better pics of his face.
Tricia is feeling better, but very tired, and Zion is tired too, but this little butterfly has emerged and can't help openign his eyes to have a look around

.

The nights are long as we all 3 learn how to do this whole family thing.

Wow! I just can't stop watching him. He is so amazing...

Oh! and Also-he has an added middle name: Zion Michael Ray. Many folks have been asking about his names, so here's the history-

Zion- (rhymes with "Bryan" "Flyin" or "Cryin")
Traditionally it means "dwelling place of The Most High"
In Hebrew:

צִיּוֹן "Height"

Today, "Zion" is often used metaphorically, to symbolize Jerusalem and the Promised Land where God dwells amongst his people(Heaven). Zion (tzion) is also an Aramaic (precursor to Hebrew) word meaning "pure".

Zion National Park in Utah is also the first place Tricia and I climbed together, in the fall of 1998.

Michael-
Zions Uncle Bryan Michael died 8 yrs ago and this seemed like a fitting way to keep both his and his Grandpa Gary Michaels name in the family. Michael is also said in scripture to be an arkangel in heaven. It is comforting knowing that Bryan is watching Zion from above as well.

Ray-
Tricia's grandpa Ray Earle died last year. My Grandpa Billy Ray died in 2001. His dad, and my great grandpa Ray Collins is luckily still with us, and we hope to go visit him next week to attempt a 5 generation picture (Zion is his first Great Great Grandkid). Too many Rays in our collective legacy to leave it out.

2006-07-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Day two in this big bad world and Zion is enjoying listening to a little Eva Cassidy.

Mamacita Joyce has some more pics here

It was a long night, but the dude refuses to cry...pretty chill.

2006-07-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Hey you Zion blog fans out there!

Daddy here, with a beautiful shot of Mom and Zion yesterday at Loose Park in KC shot by the ever talented and lovely Kelly Jackson.

and then...today!

Zion decided to come early and surprised us all!

He is doing great and so is Mom. She had a c-section surgery and is chillin now enjoying some good meds. The tally is -
feet=dads,
nose= grandpa gary,
skin= grandma,
hands= dads,
black curly hair= mom,
calm disposition=mom

Thanks for all the prayers, calls, gifts and good wishes.
Zion is looking forward to meeting you all!

-the dad

2006-07-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

From Daddy:
Can I brag a little? Well how about a lot?

Today is special.

Tricia and I have been married five years today. Here is a shot from a month after we started dating in 1998. Silly kids.

For those that know my bumper sticker, you know that "God Is My Rock". I have now come to know that my wife is "My Rope"- that which has kept me connected to The Rock, safe from myself, and consequently my lifeline.

My amazing wife has put up with so much the last five years. She has accomplished many life goals, travelled and explored, invested much time into her friendships, and taken care of a husband who is messy, distracted, driven, and forgetful.

Did you know my wife teaches sunday school?
Did you know my wife has completed a body building competition?
Did you know my wife climbed her hardest climb ever when she was two months pregnant? Did you know my wife spends time daily praying for many of you reading this?
Did you know my wife designed our baby's room which looks FANTASTIC?
Did you know my wife worked her butt off 13 hrs a day up until yesterday?
Did you know my wife stood and greeted people at my gallery opening for four hours, even though her ankles were swollen and she was nine months pregnant?
Did you know I met my wife in high school and thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen?

I love you, Tricia.

2006-07-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

37 Weeks!

Here is proof that the rest of me (okay, except the belly) has not yet morphed into an elephant. I'm actually feeling pretty good, aside from the incredibly tight, swollen feet. I'm sure that working 12 hour shifts, 3 days a week is mostly to blame. But, I have just 2 days of work left!
Then, it's vacation time! Right? Oh, just let me believe that for awhile...

Notice the new background? It's our sliding closet doors in Zion's room. They are humongous--from floor to ceiling!
Yep, I'm pretty excited that we have closet doors now.

2006-07-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Anyone have time to organize?
Believe it or not, these are pics of the room AFTER I put away gift bags, empty boxes, etc.

I thought I could just start with putting away all the gifts that I had collected in the crib.
Well, I had good intentions of putting things away on Sunday. However, just as I was getting started, I was standing in front of the crib and felt this tingling sensation in my feet. Then, my toes and ankles started to feel sort of numb and incredibly tight. Then, I looked down, and that's when I realized............

I was slowly (quickly?) being transformed into an elephant.

So, I'm just gonna sit in my rocker glider for now.

2006-07-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

More baby shower photos. There were too many favorite pics to not post all of these!

Thank you Jeff, Alisha (and Carson!) for hosting such a fun and memorable baby shower for us!
Thank you also to all our friends who have celebrated with us and overwhelmed us with so many special gifts to help prepare us for life with baby Zion.

I loved watching Jeremy trying to figure out all these baby products. Here, I was trying to explain how all the baby bottle pieces go together. Of course, I don't really have any experience with this stuff either! Oh well. I guess we'll figure it out when we need to.

Jeremy's favorite onesie for Zion. If you can't tell from the picture, it's a Volkswagon bus. Reminds me of Jeremy's old bus. Thanks Sean and Kelly!

2006-07-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

More pics with friends at the baby shower!
Me and Tecia with a great view of KC behind us.

Kelly and Ruth. So good to see you girls!

Hanging out with Rachel and Bit.

2006-07-16T04:17:00.000-07:00

Last week.......
Jeff and Alisha Brower hosted a baby shower for us!
This is one of my favorite pics from the shower. This was taken from the roof of the Western Auto building in downtown KC.
It was a beautiful and fortuntately not-too-hot July evening.

The view of the city was awesome!

Alisha enjoying the fine cuisine.

I managed to snap a photo of Jeremy. I think the whole baby shower thing made him a little uncomfortable, so hanging out at the edge of a tall building helped him relax.

2006-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

Good News! I had a dr's appt. today and sonogram and it looks like the fluid on Zion's right lung is starting to clear up!!! Thank you Lord! The sonographer said it is difficult to tell due to the fact that Zion gets bigger every week, but she said she is convinced it is improving.
Please keep praying for little Zion. The doctor had mentioned the possibility of having me deliver at a different hospital that has a higher level of nursery care. Hopefully, that will not be necessary, now that it looks like the fluid problem may be resolving.
I also had my pre-admission appt at the hospital where I plan to deliver. I purposely chose this particular hospital to deliver at because of their reputation and they do things so differently from the other hospital choices I was given, which is a good thing! It's crazy to realize that I'm just a few weeks away from holding Zion!

2006-07-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was planning to say more than I ended up saying in the last post, but the site was about to shut down for maintenance at 4:00PM, so I'm just now adding some thoughts.
How does it feel to be 30? Well, I don't feel any older. (I did wake up with legs and feet that resemble an elephant's.) I had never thought of the possibility that I could be 9 months prego and weigh more than I ever have before, on the day I reached 30. However, I'm happy to have such a great reason for it!
I'm satisfied that I have reached 30 and I really can't say that I have any regrets. I'm glad that Jeremy and I have had the first 5 years of our life together--as just the 2 of us. I have so many great memories of trips I've taken on my own AND with Jeremy. I have so many great memories of personal goals I've reached and of unforgettable times with friends. So, for me, 30 is a great celebration.
It is definitely a celebration of turning over a new leaf as I anticipate Zion's arrival. Sometimes I'm completely terrified of being responsible for this new little person! At the same time, I'm ready to take on the challenge. I'm confident that his presence in my life and Jeremy's will be the best experience of my 30th year of life.

2006-07-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

36 WEEKS and 3 days...........

.........and 30 years old today. Yep, it's my birthday today.

And this is how I'm celebrating.

2006-07-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

more fun pics of the art show. the clothing at Pidgeon is really fun and colorful. Wish I could have tried these great dresses on, but maybe next month?

The crowd at the show.

Jeremy with his friend Dick, who bought the painting between them.

2006-07-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Jeremy had his first Kansas City art show.
It took place at Pidgeon, a new downtown shop (co-)owned by Jeremy's friend, Joe. I was so excited for Jeremy! The atmosphere was perfect for displaying all his most recent work.

Here, Jeremy is visiting with some of the first visitors to his gallery show. The show was this past Friday, July 7th. On the first Friday of every month, all the downtown art galleries and stores display local artist's works. The Pidgeon just opened about 2 weeks ago, so it not only attracted a large crowd to see Jeremy's work, but also the stores unique products.

Jeremy was the only artist featured in the store that night, which made it an even more exciting event for us!

.......more of Jeremy's work. The piece in the lower left corner was his featured work for the show. It was also advertised in The Pitch--a local newspaper--in their "things to do this weekend" issue.

This was my view of the store and art show during the majority of the night. The store has this great, comfy, lime green couch that I was more than relieved to relax in! My legs were unbelievably tight and swollen at the end of the night (cause I didn't sit as much as I should have been). Of course, my feet already look(ed) like big puffy marshmallows.

2006-07-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Week 35...

Last week, Zion had his first rock climb- up the 2,400 foot tall northwest face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California. No, I didn't go climbing. Daddy Jer carried Zions picture in his back pocket to this and another summit(in the background).

GO DADDY GO!!!!

Here is Zion (and mom of course) swimming in Lake Lotawanna waiting for fourth of July fireworks.

Here we are , poolside on top of the Hyatt in downtown KC. Thank Browers!

2006-06-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

WEEK 34

A lot has happened since last week. We've gone to 3 Dr's appt's, had 4 sonograms, and had 2 baby showers. I'll first just say, Zion is doing great. I'll have to explain the need for the numerous sonograms with more posts and pics, but basically, we had a sonogram done that revealed that Zion has a little fluid in his right lung cavity. It shouldn't be there, so the doc is watching him closely now, which means weekly sonograms with biophysical tests. The biophysical test is a measurement of the amt of amniotic fluid present, checking to see that Zion is moving around, checking to see that he's practicing breathing, and one other thing that I can't remember. Good news is, Zion passed his first biophysical test today! He's not doing gymnastics anymore, but it feels like he's switched to yoga.
OH, and he's estimated to weigh about 6 pounds. Oh, and somehow, I gained 4 pounds since my appt just 1 week ago. I'm trying to figure out how I gained that much in 7 days.................

I THINK THIS MIGHT BE THE ANSWER.

2006-06-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

"It's a dude" is Jeremy's answer when people ask if we have a boy or girl. So, when I found this onesie at Old Navy, I knew this was
THE outfit to take him home in.

I think Jeremy is just a little excited about introducing Zion to climbing. We found these baby shoe size Merrell "climbing shoes" at an outdoor gear store in Oregon. Grumpa Gary actually sponsored Zion's upcoming adventures in rock climbing by buying these!

Hey everyone, this is my friend Carissa! Carissa is also pregnant, and (forgive me Carissa, I've forgotten again how many weeks along you are now!) she's just now getting a little bit rounder of a belly--so cute!
This picture was taken at Jan and Mike's house last Saturday. They hosted a baby shower for us--our first one for Baby Z. I have to say, it was the most creative and fun baby shower I've
ever attended! I was having such a great time, but I forgot to
take more pictures. So, these are a few of what I did get.

Mike sort of got in the picture on the right. He was hoisting up candy filled pacifier pinatas, for the kids at the shower to take turns swinging at. Maya is holding up the first of the pacifier pinatas. The picture on the left is of Blaise, swinging with everything in him to bust the candy out. Georgia and Macy Anne are
anxiously waiting for the loot.

2006-06-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

33 weeks!!
As foretold, there is now carpet and an assembled crib in Zion's nursery
Jeremy whipped this crib together in less than an hour--I didn't know he had such assembly skills.

Digital cameras rock! As in this picture, with my FALSELY elongated torso and small belly. HA!

Okay, so this is totally boring, but I can't help but share how excited I am about his cute little room...

...and his changing table!

2006-06-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

32 WEEKS, OKAY 8 months, whatever! Zion is wild. He must know that he's running out of tumbling space with each passing day. Yet, he still manages to pull off some fancy gymnastics--at least it feels that way.

Yep, another side shot. We'll try to be more creative with future poses. Well, at least the wall behind us will be a mural next week, courtesy of daddyjer. That's part of the plan for baby Zion's room. Hopefully, I can post some pics of his new room at it's completion set for next week?

2006-06-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

31 weeks from Dad:
Tricia is tired and in bed, so I decided I would blog tonight for her. She's a tired momma. We just returned from our second "baby preperation" class which is...well, pretty boring
; but I guess we are learning something. We knew a couple people in class, and tonight there was a fantastic thunderstorm going on in the background while "Ann" taught us about cervixes, ambiotic fluids, and other lovely things.

Here's Little Z-man at 31 weeks hanging out at the fountain in Mill Creek Park where Tricia does all her walking. I would have taken the time to shoot something better, but there was a homeless dude picking through the trash, throwing things at us, and grunting like an orangutang...so we hightailed it out of there. Zion sure gets his share of culture in our neighborhood....

Here is my lovely chick getting ready for a dinner at Cheescake Factory. I treated her to her favorite "Luau Salad" last night and then a new cheescake on the menu. I can't remember the name, but it was long and complicated...and yummy. Zion also experienced his first movie this week: "Mission Impossible III". He was very active during and after the movie, much like I usually am. We both really liked it. Tricia liked the scene where Ethan Hunts wife had to kill him to be able to bring him back to life. Not sure what I think about that.

Last weekend some of our closest friends came to spend time with us. The Roddas live on the side of a mountain in Evergreen, Colorado. Here is Tricia and Zion with Kym and Stella. Stella was very excited about the pink italian soda that dad Ben ordered...thus dad didn't get to drink much of it. Not sure what I think of that either...

Her little sister Savannah is just out of this picture, and if she plays her cards right, maybe she and Zion will meet soon.
We miss you guys a lot...

Welp, time for dad to catch some Z's.
Have you noticed that Zion backwards or upside down spells "NOIZ".
Not sure what I think of that either.

2006-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thirty weeks!
Baby Z is busting out!

2006-05-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

So here's little Zion at 28 weeks. (Okay, he's really 28 weeks and 5 days old). According to pregnancy info web sites, he probably weighs a little over 2 pounds now. My wrinkled up maternity tank top is evidence he's still got lots of room to grow. I'm hoping he'll stretch it out front instead of sideways!

This pic, taken the same day, looks so different to me than the first one! I'm convinced Zion curled up into a tight ball for this shot.

2006-05-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

This morning Jeremy and I went to Smith Rock State Park in Terrebone Oregon. It is so beautiful, and I enjoyed watching the sun rise and make the shadows and shapes across the canyon floor morph and change. It was really challenging not being able to climb, as the rock was very unique and enticing, but I sure got a lot of strange looks from other climbers as I walked around with Zibaby in my belly.

Here Jeremy is helping his dad on his second climb ever! He did much better than he did on his fiftieth birthday in Arizona. We were all very proud of him. Maybe he will climb El Capitan in Yosemite with Jeremy next time...or maybe not.

Jeremy climbing a "stemming corner", one of his favorite types of climbs. Just out of frame above him is his friend Calvin from Bend filming his climb. Hopefully we can get that footage on here some day soon...

Here is Zion at the end of the day, chilling out at the rim of the canyon, enjoying the sun. I can't wait to come back when I am back in climbing shape.

You never know what you are going to get when Jeremy comes out of the shower...